Some collections you are just meant to finish

Many years ago, before I started collecting toys in a more serious (and by serious I mean obsessive compulsive and almost self destructive) way, I saw in a Park sale a bunch of very tiny (2"), non-articulated PVC figurines from one of my all time favorite series. They were a little banged up but nothing terrible, they were also very cheap. And I got them.

The collection was, of course, incomplete, but at that time I wasn't that interested in spending money to have all the characters. They stood on a shelf until I moved, but when I unpacked they were left behind.

A month or so I was cleaning some things and I found that box with the figures and by my standards, half of a collection is hardly a collection at all. So I jumped on ebay and quickly found the rest.

Now, like the proverbial Pokemon, I caught them all.



This are, of course, the 2" PVC figurines from The Tick cartoon Bandai released in 1994. They are super tiny and if you look closely you'll notice that the paint is all over the place, which is sad but understandable at this scale, from that time and intended for kids. But still is no excuse for a poor paint job.

Don't get me wrong, I really like having these little guys, they are fun and cute, but more for the memories of the series they bring than for the toys themselves.



Arthur was one of the originals I got in that Park sale, the wings are a bit bent but overall he's in great condition. I used to have a Tick from another line (that was almost in scale), but this new Tick and American Maid are from the new ebay loot.



All these are from the Park sale too. I love the fact that for this line (and the 5" line too) Bandai used some really obscure characters, because, it's true that Crusading Chameleon and Sewer Urchin were regulars, but the Human Bullet only showed up a couple of times. If you can name the Human Bullet's side-kick (one of the best side-kicks names ever), you'll win a virtual hug from me.

These completes the heroes, and that's a shame, because my favorite one is Die Fledermaus, and he didn't make the cut for this line. As much as I like the inclusion of the Human Bullet, that spot should totally belong to Die Fledermaus (you may know him as BatManuel...)



The bad guys are outnumbered six to five. El Seed and Dyna-mole are from that original purchase and Chairface Chipendale is new. Again, Dyna-mole is a character that didn't have the importance of the other two in the series, if I recall correctly he was used just for background.



Last, but not least, Dean and Dinosaur Neil are the biggest figures in the line. That's not a lot in such a small line, but you work with what you have. Dinosaur Neil was the hardest one to get, since, if I understand it correctly, was never officially released in the USA. There were only two releases, one in Canada with an English/French card and one in Australia. I obviously had the Australian one since the card was only in English.

If you are a collector you know that finishing a collection (even one you didn't know you had) it's full of mixed feelings. It's cool to have them all, but there's also the void that must be replaced by another line. Don't worry, I'm sure I'll find something else to collect...

In the mean time, you still have a week to enter the "WIN A BIONIC BJOERN FIGURE" contest and you can also follow me on Twitter to know when I post something on the blog.

Until next time.